2021 Funded Projects
Successful Grants for 2021
CONGRATULATIONS to the following researchers who have received funding from
the Canine Research Foundation for 2021
(1) Development of a murine model of canine endometritis and evaluation of the virulence of vaccine candidates in mice.
Dr Natali Krekeler – University of Melbourne
Pyometra is a disease of adult intact female dogs and is characterised by the accumulation of pus in the uterus. Although the disease is diagnosed on average at seven years of age, younger animals can also be affected. Current preventative measures against pyometra include elective spaying of healthy dogs and the use of hormones such as progesterone receptor blockers and prostaglandins. While the former leads to permanent loss of breeding capacity of the female dog, the latter is expensive and there is still a chance of developing pyometra in subsequent oestrous cycles if the bitch is not bred. Both these treatment options often result in lowered fertility which can reduce the gene pool within a breed. If left untreated, the mortality rates are high.
Over the past few years our research group has worked intensively on improving the understanding of the disease process. It has become clear that infection of the uterus with the bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) is known to be one of the main causative factors in the development of canine pyometra. Hence, in 2017 we proposed to develop a bacterial vaccine against E. coli to help prevent the disease. In the past years, we have developed three potential vaccine candidates and have conducted in vitro studies to characterise the growth and phenotypic behaviour of these vaccine candidates in different conditions. In the next phase of this study, we propose to conduct in vivo experiments in mice to test the virulence (the ability of the vaccine to cause disease) and efficacy (effectivenss) of the vaccine candidates. The aim of the present study is to develop a novel model of endometritis in mice and test the virulence and efficacy of the vaccine candidates in this model. Based on the outcomes of the virulence study, the safest vaccine candidates will then be selected for the immunization and challenge studies. If a promising strain is identified, we will propose to undertake an experiment on bitches in a future project.
(2) Metabolomic profile of canine osteosarcoma to identify early diagnosis biomarkers
Panayiotis (Panos) Loukopoulos
The University of Melbourne
Osteosarcoma is a common, aggressive bone cancer of dogs, particularly larger and giant breeds. Dogs often present as acutely lame, and by that time, it is often late in the clinical course, with lung metastases (radiographically detectable or not) already established in most cases. Partly for this reason, and the fact it is associated with severe pain, osteosarcoma carries a grave prognosis; the median survival period is 2-4 months for dogs treated with amputation alone, and approximately a year for dogs treated with surgery and chemotherapy.
The project aims to identify the metabolites (substances) present in the serum (blood) and urine of dogs with osteosarcoma with or without metastases at initial presentation, in non-cancer bearing lame dogs and in healthy dogs, using analytical chemistry metabolomics methodologies. By comparing the type of substances present in the serum and urine of cancer-bearing, lame from other causes and healthy dogs, using computer-assisted pattern-recognition analysis, substances specific to bone cancer may be identified to facilitate earlier and easier detection, and thus allow earlier treatment intervention and improve survival and disease-free rates. The derived metabolomic profiles will be analysed and compared using computer-assisted pattern-recognition analysis, in order to identify substances that may be clinically relevant and that are differentially expressed in the different groups. The identification of such substances may subsequently be used in the development of minimally invasive serum or urine tests for early detection and treatment monitoring of this devastating and common disease of dogs. Potentially the findings from this study could also benefit research into human osteosarcoma
(3) Canine health during emergency evacuations in the Australian bushfire season.
Assoc. Prof Hayley Randle
Charles Sturt University
The 2019/20 bushfire season saw extreme environmental conditions that had catastrophic impacts on animal welfare. These impacts included large population shifts of working and companion canines under emergency conditions. Dogs evacuated to emergency shelters were often from low-socioeconomic households, including those on low incomes, social benefits or with poor human health. Registration into an emergency animal shelter was the first time some pets may have seen a veterinarian in several years. Many dogs had never left their home environments or been exposed to large numbers of unfamiliar dogs before. Separation anxiety, change of feed, and housing with other dogs under stressful circumstances made management of dogs with underlying health conditions challenging for evacuation centre staff and their owners. In addition, the combination of environmental stressors, close mixing enabling sharing of pathogens, and existing co-morbidities, all increase the disease pressure in a population. Therefore, this study will evaluate, for the first time, the positive and negative health impacts (for example, exacerbation of existing disease conditions) on a population of dogs presenting at bushfire evacuation centres in NSW by evaluation of incoming, outgoing and long term condition of the animals from the owners, and veterinary support staff perspective, as well as defining the demographic of animals presenting to evacuation shelters. Decisions to remove dogs into veterinary clinical care, compared to animals retained in evacuation shelters, will be reviewed and clinical outcomes assessed. This information will provide essential information for the better management of displaced dogs during acute emergency conditions in the future.
Assoc Prof Jan West
Deakin University
Trustee of the Canine Research Foundation
February 2021
Canine Research Foundation
Website: https://oz.dogs.net.au/crf
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Contact Details
Secretary: L Brodie Liaison Officer:Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Email : canineresearchfoundation@gmail.com